To conserve power, it is important to reduce power losses in transistors. In a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) device, power losses can be reduced by reducing the device's drain-to-source on-resistance.
In order to achieve a high breakdown voltage in a MOS device, the epitaxial (epi) layer and/or resistivity can be increased, but this can detrimentally affect on-resistance. To alleviate that problem, a modulated electric field that is vertical to the direction of the current when the device is off can be introduced. A modulated electric field in the drift region increases the breakdown voltage and allows for higher doping concentration for a given breakdown voltage relative to a more conventional MOS device. One way to generate such an electric field is to include a “split gate” alongside the drift region. In a split gate structure, a MOS structure (e.g., trench) is created alongside the drift region. A shielded polysilicon (poly) region, which is connected to the source, is placed under the gate poly inside the trench, and the gate structure is built on top of the trench. Split gate structures offer a number of advantages, including better switching and breakdown voltage and lower on-resistance, but are difficult to manufacture.